Auto accident fatality rates are at their lowest levels in decades, and the average Atlanta motorist now has a much higher likelihood of walking away relatively unharmed from an accident, compared to the past. However, motorists in some cars remain at a much higher risk of dying in accidents, compared to motorists in other cars.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently confirmed that improved auto design has contributed significantly to the reduction in traffic accident fatalities in the United States over the past decade. In fact, according to IIHS, the chances of a fatality occurring in an accident involving late model automobiles dropped by more than one- third over the past decade.
The good news is that if you are driving a newer automobile that comes with advanced safety features, your chances of surviving an accident are extremely high. However, the bad news is that there is a wide gap between fatality rates involving newer automobiles and the most dangerous automobiles. According to the data, among model year 2011 model automobiles, nine vehicles had a fatality rate of zero. In the other list, there are at least three cars that have fatality rates that are higher than 100 per million registered vehicle years.
Among the safest cars with the lowest risk of driver fatalities are the following.
· Audi A4
· Honda Odyssey
· Kia Sorento
· Lexus RX 350 4WD
· Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
· Subaro Legacy
· Toyota Highlander Hybrid
· Toyota Sequoia
· Honda Pilot
· Mercedes-Benz M-Class
· Ford Crown Victoria.
These and other vehicles were linked to fewer than six driver fatalities for every 100 million registered years.
Among the most dangerous cars are the following.
· Kia Rio
· Nissan Versa
· Hyundai Accent
· Chevrolet Aveo
· Hyundai Accent Two-Door
· Chevrolet Camaro
· Chevrolet Silverado
· Honda Civic
· Nissan Versa
· Ford Focus
· Nissan Cube
These and other vehicles had a death rate of more than 48 for every 100 hundred million registered vehicle years.
In a related study, researchers at the Insurance Institute tried to investigate why newer automobiles were involved in fewer accidents and fatalities, compared to older cars. They found that improved design, advanced safety technologies, improved safety features, and better structural design were the main factors that contributed to lower fatalities involving newer cars.
In fact, the lower fatality rate involving newer cars is the reason why many safety experts recommend that parents buy their teenage children a newer automobile as their first car.